


and the universe said i love you

by Fifia



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam Parrish & Blue Sargent Friendship, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bisexual Adam Parrish, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Feminist Blue Sargent, Gansey can be insensitive, Gay Ronan Lynch, Gen, Henry is the best we stan, How Do I Tag, M/M, Pining, Richard Gansey III & Ronan Lynch Friendship, Ronan Swears, Strangers to Lovers, eventual angst, friendship!!! yay!!!, no beta we die like men, nonbinary henry cheng, the teen warning is just for cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:55:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22470631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fifia/pseuds/Fifia
Summary: Everyone has a soulmark. A counter on their wrist, invisible to all but their soulmate, counting the days they have left to live.Blue Sargent is over it. Richard Gansey III is mystified by it. After a not-exactly-fairytale encounter, lots of pining, denial, and eventual love ensues between the two unaware soulmates.Or, Blue's done with this shit, Gansey's confused, Adam's tired, Henry tries (keyword: tries) to set his friends up, Ronan can't deal with his feelings and Noah just wants a hot chocolate for goodness sake.
Relationships: Adam Parrish & Blue Sargent, Declan Lynch & Matthew Lynch & Ronan Lynch, Henry Cheng & Adam Parrish, Henry Cheng & Richard Gansey III & Ronan Lynch & Adam Parrish & Blue Sargent, Noah Czerny & Ronan Lynch, Richard Gansey III & Ronan Lynch, Richard Gansey III/Blue Sargent, Ronan Lynch & Blue Sargent, Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 46
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue and Gansey meet. It could have gone better.

Ever since she learned about soulmarks, Blue swore could feel her lifespan ticking down. With every step she took, she walked closer to her death, not knowing whether it was in 70 years or next week. Walking across campus to her gender and women’s studies class, the gold beads on her neon turquoise skirt clinking together with every step, she could feel the invisible mark on her wrist counting the seconds she has to live down, hear the ticking of her clock in her head. 

_Stop,_ she thought to herself. _You’re thinking like Neeve, all this “doom, death, clock ticking down” bullshit._

Blue was done with all this 'soulmate' stuff.

She kept walking, the chill settling in her bones. Maybe wearing _just_ a skirt, Converse boots and a white t shirt with patches (that she had sewn herself, thank you very much) was a bad idea in late November. While Blue considered herself sensible, she also prided herself on her fashion sense, and she was not about to run back and grab a jacket.

_Fuck, it really is cold though._

Blue sped up her walking, shivering in the chill. She got to the large glass building and heaved the door open, immediately relaxing upon entering the warm foyer. Blue ran a hand through her dark, blue-streaked hair (it was on a dare, ok?), newly styled in an undercut. It still felt weird, having half of her head shaved, but she liked it. She made her way to her classroom, the clinking of the beads on her skirt breaking the silence of the hallway. 

She was early. Really early. 

She liked it that way though. There was never silence at 300 Fox Way, and here, the silence was calming, giving her thoughts room to expand and grow, like a garden being planted and coming into full bloom.

She placed her backpack down, pulled out her laptop, took a sip of coffee from her thermos, and began to sow some seeds. 

Halfway through designing her Page of Cups, her phone buzzed. Frowning, Blue pulled it out. _It’s 6:30_ , she thought. _I have an hour and a half ‘til class starts. Who’s messaging me now?_

She checked. Adam. Of course. The guy woke up at 3 am and went to sleep at midnight. Blue might have been an early bird, but Adam was on a whole other plane of existence. Sighing, she opened up Snapchat to see what he sent her.

She snorted with laughter. It was a picture of the cafe where Adam took his morning shift. The star of the picture was a slender guy who looked as though the next wind might blow him away. His light blond hair and even paler skin made the smudge on his cheek even more pronounced. The caption read, _Are we serving ghosts now?????_

Blue quickly snapped a picture of herself, half of her face in frame. _dude how the fuck are you even alive_

Adam quickly responded with a picture of himself, his light, dusty, curly hair hidden under the cap he wore for his job, his tired blue eyes the only thing in frame. _Good question_

She took a quick picture of her laptop screen. The Page of Cups she was designing ended up blurry in the photo, but that was the way she wanted it.

_you get a sneak peek of my new deck parrish_

_like it?_

Sending the photo, she went back to her tarot deck. The Page of Cups was almost done, the deep blues and purples contrasted with the bright gold lettering and outlines. Blue had begun sketching out an idea for the Ace of Swords when she got a snap back from Adam.

_I can barely see it but it looks pretty cool_

_Ok I’ve gotta go my manager’s gonna get mad at me_

Rolling her eyes, she put her phone back in her pocket. Rounding out the basic premise of the next card, she got back to tending to her ever growing garden.

* * *

_7:50_

Most students were in the classroom by now. Blue had stopped sketching and was now sewing a patch she’d been working on for some time now. A vine full of ethereal blue lilies. The hum of chatter filled the room as she fell into the rhythm of her embroidery. The rest of the class fell away and it was only Blue, the needle, and the thread. _In, out, in, out, in-_

BANG

The door to the classroom swung open violently. The professor walked in, a student walking by her side, talking to her.

The student’s voice drifted over to Blue. “...if I could just—”

“No, Gansey. I’m not the right person to be talking to for this,” Professor Caillier responded. “Please, take a seat.”

The student—Gansey, Blue presumed— turned around and began walking towards the empty seat next to her.

_Oh, god no._

He was one of _those_ guys. Rich and wants everyone to know it. The guy wore a light blue polo shirt, maroon pants, and carried a huge army green backpack. Golden aviator-style glasses rested on his straight nose. He walked with purpose, like he was important and he knew it. His short, tousled brown hair was the only imperfection on him. Otherwise, he could be described as a perfect, “all-American” boy. As he passed the rows of desks, he gave everyone a perfect, presidential smile, one that was only brought out when company was over, shined and proudly shown off.

He threw out greetings to everyone he came across in his warm, rich, “old money” Virginian accent.

Blue hated him instantly. She knew his type. Back in her hometown of Henrietta, she’d known them as “Raven Boys”. They went to the fancy private school Aglionby Academy, they were filthy rich and they were _awful_. She never thought they’d follow her here, but there he was, a Raven Boy, clear as day.

He sat next to her, dropping his enormous backpack beside his chair.

Blue, trying not to look at his face, looked down.

He was wearing _boat shoes_.

She buried her head in her hands. Could this guy _get_ any worse?

* * *

Gansey had gotten no sleep, he had been trying to find someone to talk to about his newest Glendower theory and now he had to sit next to Jane.

Wonderful.

He put his backpack down on the floor next to him, and when he looked up, Jane’s head was in her hands. He frowned, confused. _What happened?_

Before he could open his mouth to speak to the tiny girl next to him, Professor Caillier began speaking.

“Okay everyone, settle down. Alright, so today, we’re going to be starting on a project!” She gave everyone a thumbs up as most students groaned. She laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s just going to be a simple presentation on sexism in our daily life. Just choose a topic you think reflects that.”

Gansey leaned forward, thinking about the professor’s words. What could he do for this? Projects weren’t his strong suit. He leaned back again, catching a glimpse of Jane’s dark hair and smooth brown skin, her eyes pensive. His cheeks flushed. 

He’d first seen Jane on the first day of classes, a tiny, fiery girl with an interesting fashion sense. He’d found her intriguing, the way her eyes lit up when she was ranting about something she was passionate about, how she was always doing something, whether it be in her head or not. She was loud and opinionated and creative, and unlike anyone Gansey had ever seen before.

He was drawn to her, but he couldn’t bring himself to talk to her, for fear of embarrassing himself. Gansey might have known how to make people like him, but with people he actually liked, he could be awkward and often said the wrong thing. He didn’t even know her name, so he called her Jane. A nice, sensible name for an eccentric girl.

“Okay, so we _are_ going to be in partners for this project,” Professor Caillier continued, forcing Gansey to snap out of his reverie. “Your seat partner will be your partner for this project! Yay!” She said, adding jazz hands to her statement. “Now, get your partner and start planning!” The class erupted with movement and chatter as Gansey, trying not to turn as red as a tomato, turned to Jane and cleared his throat

“So-” He began, only to get cut off by Jane, holding up her hand.

“Before you say anything, yes, we are partners and yes I am a girl. That does not mean you are allowed to hit on me in any way, ok? We will be spending time together, and that isn’t an invitation for you to try and hook up with me. I’ve seen your type before, and I just want to clear that up.” Jane said, her eyes fiery.

Gansey nodded. “Naturally! I would never assume that this project was an invitation to, er, hook up with you in any way.”

She held his gaze. “Good.” She said, her words somehow drawling and clipped at the same time. “Now, let’s get this show on the road.”

Gansey nodded and took one of his many notebooks out of his backpack. He clicked his pen, tracing the area on his wrist where he knew his soulmark was. Jane had pulled out her laptop and was exiting out of what looked to be an art program with a half finished tarot card-

_Tarot card?_

“Excuse my curiosity, but is that a tarot card?” He asked.

Jane looked at him and raised a pierced eyebrow. “Uh, yes.” She responded.

Gansey lit up with excitement. “Interesting! I have a fascination with the mystical and magical. If I could ask you a few questions?”

Jane tilted her head, looking skeptical, but agreed nevertheless.

Gansey leaned forward, excitement sparking inside him like fireworks. “What do you know about dead Welsh kings?”

* * *

“...buried on a ley line, and that could mean—”

“Now listen, this has been interesting, but I think we should get going with the actual project.” Blue said, the corners of her mouth upturned ever so slightly. Listening to Gansey ramble about Glendower had been interesting, the way his demeanor changed from “presidential, ‘all-American’ boy” to “obsessive scholar”. She liked it. Scholar Gansey was genuine. His eyes lit up with excitement and his smooth voice wove stories beyond Blue’s dreams.He seemed in his element when he was talking about Glendower, much more than before. As much as she’d grudgingly enjoyed the conversation, she had to get back on track with the project. “So, maybe something on, I don’t know… gendered products?”

Gansey frowned. “What’s the harm with those?”

Now it was Blue’s turn to frown. “‘What’s the harm in those?’ Oh, I don’t know, pushing gender roles and stereotypes, most of the time they tell up that women should be _completely_ dependent on men, and it’s just pointless! Why would you need ‘earbuds for women’ in a smaller size when you could just make different sized earbuds and let people decide what they want!”

Gansey nodded, still frowning. “But what of clothing? There’s clothing for women and clothing for men. That’s gendered, and doesn’t do anyone harm.”

Blue sighed. “Yes, but what if a man wants to wear a dress because it’s more comfortable? Society will judge him. It’s _just_ a piece of fabric that’s pointlessly gendered. And—”

“Alright, alright. We’ll do gendered products.” Gansey said.

Blue nodded. “Okay.” She pulled up PowerPoint on her laptop as Gansey scribbled something in his leather notebook, which was currently exploding with newspaper clippings and photos.

As much as she didn’t want to work on this project with someone named _Gansey_ of all things, maybe this could work out okay.

* * *

Gansey bit his lip as he did some basic research on gender constructs. “Maybe, er, we could work on it after classes today?” Gansey asked Jane, cursing himself for stumbling over his words.

“Nope, sorry. I work at Luciano’s Pizzeria on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.” She responded.

Gansey furrowed his brow. _Well then._ “Oh. Maybe after?”

Jane raised her eyebrows. “It’s a late shift; I get off around midnight.”

“Maybe I can meet you at Luciano’s, Jane. I have no other—” He was cut off by the angry look in Jane’s eyes.

He froze.

“What did you just say?” She said, her voice low and dangerous.

“I—” Gansey tried to apologize, but he was cut off by her once again.

“Who the hell is Jane!? You’re looking at me. You _seem_ to be talking to me. I don’t know if you noticed, but my name is Blue. I saw you looking at my laptop screen, where it clearly says that my name is Blue. So, I ask again: Who the hell is Jane!? You’d better hope that you got me confused with someone else because you do not get change my name just because you don’t like it.”

She was fuming. Gansey was terrified.

“Listen Blue, I’m—Dear Lord I’m so sorry. Maybe I could buy you lunch and make up for it?” Gansey said, hoping to smooth things out.

It didn’t work.

Blue got even angrier, and suddenly, this tiny spitfire of a girl was towering over him in anger.

“YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST BUY ME OFF, GANSEY? IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK?” She said, her voice rising in volume. Gansey could see her grip on her thermos clench.

_Is she going to throw it at me?_

“Just because I’m a girl, and you’re some pompous, rich asshole in boat shoes, you expect me to just… throw myself at you?" She continued, the blazing fire in her eyes not getting any more subdued. "You’re just a prejudiced, condescending dick, and you think that buying me lunch will make it better.”

Gansey, horrified, started to apologize profusely once more. “Ja-” He stopped himself, clearing his throat. “Blue...I swear I didn’t mean to, I didn’t think that offer was so offensive. God, I’m—I’m so sorry.”

Blue scoffed. “Sure you are.”

Gansey opened his mouth, but was, once again, interrupted by Professor Caillier.

“Alright everyone, class dismissed, you guys can go!”

Gansey looked back at Blue, but she was gone.

He ran a hand through his hair. He really screwed up this time.

* * *

Blue huffed. The _nerve_ of that guy! Calling her Jane because he didn’t like her name. And then, as if he could make it better by buying her lunch? She knew what he was thinking in that moment, and it was most likely along the lines of _“After buying lunch, I’m going to fuck this girl.”_ She huffed again, her breath making a cloud in the cold November air.

She sighed. _Maybe I_ should _go get a jacket,_ she thought to herself, shivering.

Sighing again, she turned around and made her way to her apartment.

* * *

**ganseyiii:** Ronan I really screwed up this time oh my god

**greywaren:** what the fuck did you do now dick

**ganseyiii:** You know that girl in my gender studies class? I call her Jane? Well I said something that offended her and now she hates me

**ganseyiii:** Help

**greywaren:** dont fucking ask me

**greywaren:** im gay. i offend people by existing

**ganseyiii** : RONAN

**ganseyiii:** IM PARTNERED WITH THIS GIRL FOR A PROJECT

**ganseyiii:** SHE ALMOST THREW HER COFFEE IN MY FACE

**ganseyiii:** I NEED HELP

**greywaren:** i like her style

**ganseyiii:** NOT HELPING

* * *

**blue.sargent:** brb gonna go commit a homicide

**thenparrish:** What happened now?

**blue.sargent:** my project partner is a dick

**blue.sargent:** this is gonna be the death of me

**thenparrish:** I’ll be at your funeral

Blue sighed and pulled a distressed jean jacket over her shoulders. She tucked her phone into her pocket and laced up her boots. Blue stopped by a mirror and ran a hand through her hair, tousling it this way and that. Satisfied with the way her hair looked, and still fuming from the events of earlier, she set off into the chill.

* * *

Gansey walked across campus, tracing his invisible soulmark with his thumb. He had always been mystified by the science of soulmarks. How did they work? Why did they work like this? Questions ricocheted around his head as he replayed the what had happened.

God, he really had screwed everything up, hadn't he?

He reached his classroom for his next class and went inside, his mind still preoccupied with what had happened with Jane—now Blue. _I suppose Blue does fit her better_ , he thought to himself. _An eccentric name for an eccentric girl._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that's chapter one! I hope y'all enjoyed.
> 
> Thank you guys for reading! Please leave a comment telling me what you thought!! Constructive criticism gives me life!!
> 
> Also yes the title is from the Minecraft end poem dONT JUDGE ME-


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adam is tired, Noah is a Pure Bean, Henry is a queen (we stan), and Ronan is Ronan.

Adam sucked in a breath through his teeth, attempting to remain awake. He had an early shift at Cabeswater Cafe and had been audiobooking his sociology textbook since he had woken up. Which had been at 3 am. After working at the car mechanic close to his apartment and studying until midnight. His eyes were struggling to stay open as he locked his bike and walked through the doors of the cafe.

Adam couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t dead tired. 

It had been like this all through high school in Henrietta, working three jobs, trying to keep his grades up and all trying to conceal where he came from. All that time, trying to get out of there and go beyond the small town where he was born and raised.

Years of covering up his honey-thick “trailer-trash” Henrietta accent and having his childhood friend Blue cover up bruises had resulted in him getting _here_ , where he didn’t have to worry about people finding the marks his father’s belt left on him. 

It had resulted in him getting here, where he could barely keep his eyes open.

Adam walked to the back room of Cabeswater, the lush house plants along floating shelves calming to him.

“Top o’ the morning to you, Mr Parrish!” A voice said in a _ridiculously_ bad Irish accent.

Adam collapsed on the nearest chair, running a hand through his pale brown curls.

“Oh my god, Cheng. I’m too goddamn tired for your antics.” He said, exasperated.

Henry emerged from behind a metallic shelving unit, a hand over their chest in mock offense. “These are not antics, Parrish! These are works of art in the world of performance!”

Adam felt the corners of his mouth twitch up in spite of himself. “Yeah, sure, whatever.” He said, putting on the green Cabeswater apron and fastening the cap he wore for the job on his head. Henry, of course, had already put his apron on, complete with the they/them pronoun pin they always wore and the delicately embroidered floral vines around the logo. As usual, they refused to wear the hat, claiming it “messed up their gloriously spiked hair”.

He tied the apron around his waist, covering up the stained Coca-Cola shirt he was famous for wearing back in Henrietta (he’d worn it ONE TIME), while running through his sociology notes in his head. He had a quiz today and he needed to get a good mark on it. Logically, he knew he would probably do well, but it never hurt to be over prepared.

Following Henry to the counter, he pulled out his phone and opened Snapchat. As per usual, there wasn’t much. A few messages from old girlfriends and boyfriends that he’d stayed friends with, some streaks, and a snap from his roommate asking if he could get some groceries. He quickly sent some back and pocketed his phone. Plastering on a bright, I’m-not-dead-inside, customer service smile, he went to the counter and prepared for his shift of taking orders, dealing with difficult customers and all while trying not to fall asleep then and there.

* * *

20 minutes in and he already wanted to leave.

 _This is for your future,_ Adam reminded himself. _Just keep going._

Taking an exasperated breath, he composed himself and smiled at the next person in line.

“Hello, how may I help you?” He asked, halfway through looking up from the cash register. He finally looked up and met the eyes of what had to be a literal omen of death. He was tall and muscular, his blue eyes dangerous, somehow cold and full of fire at the same time.

_Damn. He’s hot._

The omen of death opened his mouth to speak.

“Uh, yeah, could I get-?” He began in a bored voice, only to be interrupted by a guy with glitter in his pale blond hair sneaking up behind him, placing something in the hood of his sweater.

“Noah, the fuck are you doing?”

“Feeding Chainsaw.” The glittery guy—Noah—replied quietly.

_Chainsaw?_

Adam was getting more confused by the second.

The omen of death barked out a harsh laugh and turned around, shoving Noah away. As the man twisted his neck to retrieve whatever “Chainsaw” was, a twisting, intricate strand of a tattoo peeked over the sweatshirt, the black ink contrasting sharply with the man’s light skin. Adam could only see a little, but he could see the intricate vines twisting and knotting together, sharp and unpredictable. The man turned his head, and Adam realized he’d been staring. For a while.

_Ugh._

Clearing his mind of dark twisting vines and Celtic knots, Adam looked back at the man and saw what he assumed was Chainsaw.

A raven. Chainsaw was a goddamn raven.

 _This guy_ can’t _be human._

He cleared his throat. Adam needed to finish his shift and get to class and get a good mark on the quiz today and so much more. He didn’t have time for a glittery ghost, a raven named after a power tool and literally Death (even if Death was hot as fuck).

“As much as I’ve been enjoying watching...whatever this is, you’re holding up the line, so…” Adam said, prompting the two men to order.

The omen of death looked up, appearing as though he had just remembered Adam was there. “Oh...yeah,” Death said. “Uh, I’ll have a fucking, uhh, coffee?”

Adam blinked. “Is that all?”

Death snorted. “I’d think that, since this is a _coffee_ shop, you’d be able to make one, so yes, I’d like a coffee.”

Noah opened his mouth but Death shot him a look, silencing him. Noah rolled his eyes and floated away.

Adam rolled his eyes, “Name?”

“Ronan.”

 _Ok,_ Adam thought. _Death has a name._

“Alright. That’ll be $2” Adam said professionally, writing Ronan’s name on the cup. 

Ronan threw the money on the counter, momentarily exposing his wrist which had more tattoos, covered by a couple braided leather bands. He was looking around for Noah, who’s wispy frame seemed to disappear into the cafe. 

“Thanks.” Ronan said gruffly, walking away, avoiding Adam’s gaze the whole time. Adam frowned, standing frozen at the counter. _Ok, rude_.

“Heyyyyyy, Mr Parrish…” Henry said in Adam’s good ear, making him jump.

“Jesus, Cheng, warn me before you do that!”

Henry winced, apologetic and yet still managing to smirk conspiratorially. “Sorry. But...” They waggled their eyebrows. “You and Mafia enforcer over there had a little something-something, a little chemistry going on, I’d say…”

Adam sighed.

He looked around at the slatted wood walls, lush vines twisting around the wood panels, beams of sunlight coming through the long windows. Adam unconsciously started gently stroking the small fern next to the cash register in an effort to ignore Henry.

Henry sighed, looking at Adam dead in the eye. “Come on Parrish! He clearly had a thing for you!” At this, Adam raised an eyebrow. “Really.” He said, “You, Henry Cheng, master of romance, think that that guy who wouldn’t look me in the eye was into me.”

They shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much!”

Adam sighed yet again.

Henry looked at him, their gaze as though they could see right through Adam. “Listen, pretty boy. You are an absolute snack, and Mafia boss over there clearly has a type. You.”

Adam laughed. ‘Henry, he’s known me for less than two minutes!”

They shot him a grin. “And he’s already crazy for you. That, or he wants to murder you.”

Adam smiled reluctantly and playfully shoved them.

“Go get your man, Parrish!” 

“Shut up, Cheng.”

He walked over to the light granite pick-up counter, snapping a picture of ghost-like Noah and sending it to Blue. Drumming his work weathered fingertips on the counter, thoughts raced through his head. Maybe he did have a chance with Ronan. Maybe he could actually ask him out.

_Wow. I really am a disaster._

Making up his mind, he took the black coffee with Ronan’s name on it and hastily scribbled his phone number with a quick “text me?” before calling his name.

Ronan walked up, taking the coffee.

“Uh, thanks, I guess.” He said.

Adam smiled and winked at him while handing the steaming cup over. 

“My pleasure.”

Upon seeing what Adam has scrawled on the cup, Ronan immediately flushed red, turning around and quickly walking away, Chainsaw squawking and Noah in tow.

Henry had come up to Adam’s side, whispering, “Nice one Parrish!”

Adam rolled his eyes. He looked up at the clock on the wall.

_Thank the Lord._

“And on that note, my shift is over.” Adam said, relieved, heading back to the back room. "Bye Cheng!"

They saluted to Adam, their signature grin in place.

Adam quickly got out of his uniform and unlocked his bike, swung his backpack over his shoulder and set off.

Hopefully, even after all that had happened that morning, he’d still be ready for his sociology quiz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, that wasn't my best. Also, I'm sorry it was short (yknow,,,,,,,,school sucks) And it wasn't realistic AT ALL, but do I care? No.  
> More gangsey shenanigans to come! 
> 
> Please leave a comment, at let me know what you thought! I hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronan is a Disaster gay who can't interact with people, and Noah Knows All. 
> 
> Or, I just really like this friendship fIGHT ME-

“Ronan, _slow down!_ ” Noah was currently being dragged out of the coffee shop by a very flustered and angry Ronan.

Ronan kept walking.

“Ronan!” Noah whined. “I want hot chocolate!”

“And I don’t care.”

Noah crossed his arms and pouted, but continued to follow Ronan, who was currently blushing down to his pale neck, clutching the steaming coffee in his hand.

_Jesus fuck._

Thoughts of big blue eyes under fluttering pale eyelashes and sun-kissed skin dusted with freckled and delicate cheekbones and _beautiful_ long fingered, bony hands ricocheted around Ronan’s brain _._

That barista at Cabeswater was quite possibly the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen. And he’d given Ronan his number.

 _Fuck, I’m so gay,_ Ronan thought distantly, the majority of his mind preoccupied with the soft lilt of the man's voice, with the barest brush of a honey-smooth Southern accent.

Arriving at the charcoal BMW Ronan drove, he flung the door open and sat down in the driver’s seat, wrapping his hands around the steering wheel. 

Noah already looked sick. “Please try not to kill us.”

Ronan grinned; a sharp, dangerous smile.

“No promises.”

Ronan hit the gas and the familiar adrenaline rush washed over him. The car accelerated on the road, along with his heartbeat, and his cares about everything were lost in the wind, the only thing mattering were the humming of the engine, the rush of the speeding car and the leather of the steering wheel under his fingers.

Here, on the road, Ronan was in his element. Dangerous, charged, full of restless energy.

Nothing else mattered. Certainly not a cute barista who had made Ronan blush upon looking at him.

_Fuck._

* * *

Back at their apartment, Ronan paced back and forth in his room, like a tiger locked in its cage, the coffee cup still clenched in his hand.

_How do people do this?_

He collapsed on his bed. _God, I’m like a fucking 13 year old girl pining after her crush,_ he thought.

He groaned. Christ, he was pathetic.

He pulled out his phone.

_It’s not that hard._

_Right?_

Ronan took a deep breath, typing the barista’s (his name was Adam, right?) number in his phone.

~~hi~~

~~so uh you gave me your number and~~

~~ugh im not good at this~~

~~i hate your stupid pretty face and beautiful hands and~~

hey, we met at cabeswater this morning and ~~i think im in love with you~~

_Ugh._

This was hard.

Taking another deep breath and willing himself not to blush, he typed out a message.

**Ronan:** hey, we met at cabeswater this morning and you gave me your number so, hi, i guess

Pressing send before he could stop himself, he immediately threw his phone across his room, instantly regretting it.

_Fucking christ._

He needed a distraction. Fast.

He flung open the door of his room and went up to Noah, who was relaxing on a couch.

Ronan slammed his hands on Noah’s shoulders.

“Wanna go do something?”

Noah bit his lip. “On a scale from one to Australia, how dangerous are we talking here?”

Ronan smirked.

Noah’s grin grew. “Okay, let’s go.”

* * *

“Oh Lord, Ronan. What did you do now?” Gansey said exasperatedly through Noah’s phone.

Ronan grinned. “Why would you assume I did something, Dick?”

“Because you never call me.”

“Technically I didn’t call you, Noah did.”

Gansey sighed. “Okay, Ronan, I’ll be back after this Glendower interview I have set up. Please try not to kill yourself by accident?”

“Sure” Ronan hung up, giving Noah a thumbs up. Noah excitedly held up a skateboard, which was currently tied to Ronan’s car.

* * *

Ronan was sufficiently distracted. 

Noah had fallen off the skateboard multiple times, and at one point, Ronan had let Noah drive, leading to Ronan falling off.

Noah laughed, collapsing onto the couch. He poked Ronan once he sat down next to him. 

“Pizza?”

Ronan raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

Noah looked expectantly at him. 

“Order it yourself, fucker.” Ronan scoffed, still attempting to steer clear of his phone for as long as possible.

Noah rolled his eyes. “Just get your phone, Ronan. Stop avoiding it.”

“I’m not.”

“Don’t lie.”

Ronan ignored him, instead choosing to focus on a stain on the wall in front of him.

Noah rolled his eyes yet again, pushing himself up from the couch and walking to Ronan’s room-

_Wait no._

“Noah, I swear to god, don’t go into my room.”

Noah laughed. “Fight me.”

Ronan rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll get my phone.”

Noah silently mouthed “yes” and scampered back to the couch.

Ronan sighed, resigning himself to disappointment.

He picked up his phone and switched it on, finding several panicked messages from Gansey, 37 missed calls from his brother and-

_Oh. Okay._

**Unknown:** Hi! Uh, I'm Adam. I actually have to go to class now, but...talk to you later? ;)

_Oh._

“Ronan?” Noah’s voice drifted up from the living room. “Come on, I’m hungry!”

Ronan cleared his throat, trying to tamp down a rising blush. “Y-yeah, I’m coming Noah.”

He ran out of his door to the bathroom, splashing his face with cold water, attempting to stay calm and not turning beet red at the thought of the barista—Adam’s—kind smile and gentle eyes and oh god why was Ronan like this.

“Ronannnnnnn!”

Ronan ran out of the bathroom and sat next to Noah. “Chill out, I’m here.”

Noah dramatically “fainted” on Ronan’s lap, moaning. ‘I’m so hungry...I’m dying here Ronan, _dying_!”

Ronan snorted and shoved Noah off him. “Just order the fucking pizza, you dramatic piece of shit.”

Noah attempted to take Ronan’s phone from him, a mistake which resulted in Noah on the floor and Ronan still on his phone, clicking back to Adam’s text every now and again.

Noah had managed to find Gansey’s laptop on the floor and had opened it to order his long awaited pizza.

“And...click! Pizza is ordered!” 

“Good job, Noah.” Ronan said dryly.

Noah looked up at him from the floor. “Thank you.”

A couple minutes of comfortable silence later, with Noah doing who knows what on Gansey’s computer and Ronan staring up at the ceiling, his phone buzzed.

Ronan lazily picked it up and turned it on, dropping it once he read the text.

**Adam:** Hey, so, would you maybe want to see each other again?

A blush spread like a wildfire across his skin.

_Oh._

Ronan was officially fucked.

“Ronan? You’re all red...what happened?”

“Fuck off” Ronan growled, still blushing.

Noah smirked. “Oh...is Ronan Lynch blushing?”

Ronan threw his phone down on the couch and heaved himself up off of it, storming out and into his bedroom. “I said, _fuck off_ Noah.”

Noah sat up. “Is it that cute barista back at Cabeswater?” He called after him.

Ronan blushed furiously, slamming the door in response to Noah.

He threw himself on the bed, turning up the EDM, attempting to drown out his feelings with the electronic beat of the music.

_Holy fuck._

He played with his leather bracelets while debating an answer to Adam’s question.

Yes? (the truth)

I don't know? (also the truth)

I'm new to the whole 'feelings thing? (a half truth)

_Holy Jesus fuck how do people do this._

He closed his eyes and let the ebb and flow of the music wash over him, drowning his thoughts in the beat.

If only getting rid of feelings were that easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ronan is, in fact, a gay disaster, and no I will not take criticism.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! Please let me know if you have any suggestions, comments or any other thought on this chapter!!!
> 
> I shall leave you with this piece of wisdom: hydrate or die-drate friends, drink some water, be healthy, sleep at a reasonable time (I wrote the majority of this at midnight but fight me ok I know I'm a hypocrite) 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ronan, Gansey and Noah are chaotic, dramatic, and really want orange juice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT!
> 
> Also yes I basically replicated the scene in the series where Ronan yeets Noah out of a window, Gansey has a melodramatic think session down the stairs, and they go and get orange juice at 2am, don’t judge me, writers block is a bitch

The clock showed the numbers 12:00am when the door to number 4 at Monmouth Apartments opened with a flourish, and a rushed looking Gansey walked in.

Noah immediately shut the laptop, shoving it under the couch.

Ronan looked up from the small raven in his hands, smirking. “Heya Dick, how’s it going?”

“Hello everyone, guess what?” Gansey said, his hair disheveled from the amount of times he must have ran his fingers through it. He sat in a chair in front of Ronan and slammed his hands on the coffee table in front of him. “I’m screwed.”

“Is this about the girl?”

Gansey scoffed. “Of course it’s about her! Ja-” He cleared his throat, catching himself before he made the mistake. “ _Blue_ is...extremely angry at me, and needless to say this throws a bit of a wrench into the plans of a problem-free project.”

Ronan grunted in agreement, turning his attention back to Chainsaw, who was currently settled on Noah’s head.

Gansey took off his glasses and put his face in his hands. “Ugh.” He said.

Noah looked up at him, careful not to disturb the bird. “If it makes you feel any better, we definitely, 100% _did not_ tie a skateboard to Ronan’s car and ride it.”

Gansey looked up, exasperated. “Excuse me, you did _what_?”

“Noah, the fuck?” Ronan said, looking at Noah, the annoyance clear in his eyes.

“I said we _didn’t_ do that!”

“You may look like a ghost now, but after this you’re gonna wish you were one, fucker!”

Noah squeaked and ran, Ronan hot on his tail. “Gansey, help me!” Noah’s voice called out.

Chainsaw flapped angrily as her rest was disrupted, landing on the armrest of the chair Gansey sat in.

Gansey sighed. “They really are idiots sometimes, aren’t they.” He said.

Chainsaw cocked her head to the side, looking as though she was in agreement.

“Yeah, they are. But I don’t think I’d have it any other way.” Gansey laughed, then sighed. “ I still don’t know what to do with Blue. I’ve ruined it.”

The raven hopped closer to Gansey’s hand, pecking it gently, as though to say, _“it’s okay”._

Gansey stroked her head. “Yeah, I suppose it will be.” He smiled to himself. While this was...unplanned, to say the least, this wasn’t a _life-defining_ experience. The Blue situation would pass. He had a goal, a plan, a purpose: Glendower. He had been doing research and interviewing people since he was in high school. The mystery, the mysticism that had attracted Gansey to the mythology of Glendower was only growing stronger, and he was determined to learn, to discover, to unravel these mysteries. Glendower was his end goal. It was who he was, who he had been for years. 

But then...there was Blue. Loud and opinionated. Blue, who seemed to genuinely enjoy his rant on Glendower during class that morning. Blue, who’s fashion choices never failed to make people stare. Blue, who made him feel alight with joy. Blue, who probably hated him. Something about Blue drew Gansey to her. She made him feel at ease and outside his comfort zone all at once. It was strange and wonderful and unlike anything he’d felt before.

He looked at Chainsaw, who was looking back inquisitively.

The absurdity of the situation suddenly struck Gansey. Noah and Ronan were off fighting each other to the death while he was giving a melodramatic monologue to a bird. At 2:30 am. He laughed, standing up and stroking Chainsaw’s back.

“Thanks for listening, Chainsaw.”

She chirped.

He smiled, pulling out his notebook stuffed with pictures and newspaper clippings, annotating the findings of a Celtic mythology expert who he’d interviewed earlier that night.

He continued writing, and writing, writing, losing all semblance of time, getting lost in his work, until-

_CRASH._

Gansey jolted up, his glasses askew. Ronan walked out from God knows where, holding a beer. He nodded at Gansey.

Gansey looked at him. “Do I want to know what that sound was?”

Ronan barked out a laugh. “Probably not.”

On cue, Noah burst through the door, looking noticeably disheveled, and breathing heavily. “HE THREW ME OUT THE FUCKING WINDOW.” Noah said, collapsing on the couch next to Ronan. Ronan rolled his eyes, sipping his beer. “You might as well already be dead, you’ve somehow survived a murder attempt. Plus, you look like a ghost already, I just wanted to test that theory.”

Noah made a strangled sound before choking out his response. “You could have made me a ghost for real!”

“And then Gansey would’ve had fun chasing your ghost down.”

“Ugh, whatever." Noah dramatically threw himself back on the couch. Suddenly, he stuck his head up. "Hey, let’s go get orange juice.”

Gansey looked up. “At three in the morning?” He asked.

Ronan downed his second drink, setting the empty bottle on the table. “Time is a construct, Noah wants juice and I’m borderline drunk, so I say, let’s get the fucking juice.”

Noah whooped and headed out the door. Ronan looked at Gansey, raising an eyebrow. “Gansey?” He asked, which meant, _are you ok?_

“Yes, I’m coming.” Which meant, _no more ok than I usually am._

Ronan nodded, seeming strangely pensive, thoughtful, peaceful. Then, that split second passed and he smirked. “Come on, Dick, let’s go get Noah his damn orange juice.”

Gansey smiled at the sheer weirdness of the situation, the strange little group they made up. 

As he walked out the door with Ronan, Gansey wouldn’t have had it any other way.

When he found Noah in the front seat of Gansey’s bright orange Camaro playing Ronan’s infamous “Murder Squash” song with glittery sunglasses on (how did he even get those?), he may have had second thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading y'all! I hope you enjoyed :D
> 
> Sorry this was mostly filler lol, I have more plot focused chapters on he way (hopefully)
> 
> Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated! Love y'all <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang's at Cabeswater, Adam is (once again) exhausted, Blue is the best bff, Noah finally gets his hot chocolate, and Gansey somehow manages to make his situation with Blue even worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I
> 
> I have no excuse.

Morning shifts were the worst.

Adam had this thought every day as he got ready for his job at Cabeswater Cafe, but today it was especially prevalent. He was tired, stressed, and done with everything. And to top it all off, he still had to go to work.

It didn’t help that the hot guy from the day before, Ronan, didn’t respond to his text.

He sighed and, careful not to wake up his sleeping roommate, set off to the cafe.

As he secured his bike onto the bike rack, his phone buzzed. Frowning, he pulled it out, checking the text, finding a picture of...himself. Next to his bike. Looking at his phone. In that moment. Sent by Blue. 

He looked around in confusion and saw her smirking and waving at him from inside the cafe. Adam rolled his eyes and walked in, sitting next to her.

“Hey Blue, what’re you doing here?” He said, pulling out his phone.

Her mischievous smirk grew. “A little birdie told me that Adam Parrish has a little crush…”

Adam’s head snapped up from his phone, a faint blush dusting his tan skin. “What, how do you know?” he whispered to Blue.

She looked back at the counter, where…

_ Oh Lord. _

Henry was at the counter, somehow managing to take an earlier shift than usual. They were currently chatting with Ronan, accompanied today by a hazel eyed man wearing aviator glasses, smiling a perfectly polished smile, in contrast to Ronan’s scowl. Henry caught Adam’s eye and winked. 

Adam glared back.

Blue laughed.

Adam turned his glare to Blue.

She smiled and elbowed him. “Hey, we all know you’re a disaster bisexual, there’s no shame in that. Plus, you two would be a hot couple.”

Adam cracked a smile. “Oh really?”

She nodded. “So, if I may ask,” she continued, still smirking, “How’d you two meet? What was the situation?”

Adam looked at her, raising an eyebrow “Blue…” He said.

She held her hands up in a surenduring motion. “Hey! It’s a serious question!”

Adam sighed. “Fine, but seriously, it was nothing… so, I was really tired-”

“As usual. Workaholic.”

“Shut up Blue, I’m telling the story. Anyways, I came to work, and I was doing my job when he came, with his tattoo and smirk and his goddamn raven in his hoodie-” He looked down blushing.

Blue smiled at him, gently punching him in the shoulder. “You fucking disaster.”

“I know, I know, you don’t need to call me out.” Adam sighed. “So yeah, he ordered, and Cheng convinced me to give him my number.”

Blue gasped dramatically. “Wait… do my ears deceive me?  _ Adam _ made the first move?”

He sighed once more, shaking his head at Blue’s incredulous expression. “It doesn’t even matter, he left me on ‘read’ after I kinda-sorta asked him out.”

Blue frowned in confusion. “Wait, really? Henry said he was into you.” Her demeanor turned angry. “That son of a bitch, he’s impossible!”

Adam put a hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her down, to little avail. “Blue, seriously, I didn’t think anythin’ would come of it. Relax.” He said, his accent slipping out more and more with each word.

Blue scoffed and opened her mouth to continue talking, but faltered at the sight of something behind Adam. 

He turned around, coming face-to-face with the aviator glasses guy who had been with Ronan, looking straight at them, approaching their table.

Blue groaned, throwing her head back. “Oh my god, Adam, help.”

Adam looked at her, confused. “Why?”

She leaned in, gripping his arm. “That’s my project partner over there. I  _ do not  _ want to talk to that dick.  _ Hide. Me. _ ” She whispered through gritted teeth.

Adam looked back at the guy, realization slowly dawning on him. 

_ So this was the infamous project partner. _

Adam could see why Blue didn’t like him. The guy looked like every rich and misogynistic guy she had ever gotten pissed at.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, smirking, a vengeful idea forming in his head. “You know Blue, I actually… have to get to work. Good luck!”

Blue’s face grew more horrified by the second. “Adam, you asshole, don’t leave me here!” She hissed at his retreating figure.

“Sorry Blue, gotta go!”

Blue sighed, biting the inside of her lip.

_ That traitor,  _ She thought.

She turned to Gansey, rapidly approaching her, flipping her dark hair out of her equally dark, deep eyes, staring daggers through his soul. She crossed her arms, trying to look as intimidating as possible for her to be, even at her 5’0 (and a half) stature.

Suffice it to say, Gansey was intimidated.

He slowly walked up to her at the quaint little table she sat at, a clear vase of lilies atop the marble tabletop, and her fiery gaze not leaving his form for a second.

Gansey nervously cleared his throat.

“Er—hello, Blue.”

She stayed silent, raising a well-shaped eyebrow.

Gansey adjusted his glasses. “Well, er, I just wanted to apologize to you… I was incredibly rude to you, and—and… well, that’s it, I suppose. I’m so, incredibly sorry.”

Blue pursed her lips, shifting her gaze to a hair clip in her hand.

“Apology accepted. I guess.”

The tension in Gansey’s shoulders immediately left as he visibly relaxed. He exhaled and nodded.

“Thank you Blue. Could I, uh, potentially make it up to you—”

She abruptly stood up, the delicate chair she was sitting on pushed back slightly as she stomped over to Gansey.

“You apologized, that’s  _ fine _ for me. I don’t need any extra ‘payment’ from  _ you _ of all people.” She said, gesturing sharply, a bite in her voice. She fiddled with the barrette in her hand for a moment longer and clipped it into her spiky hair, her glare trained on Gansey.

He unconsciously shrunk back from her gaze.

Hair complete to her satisfaction, she shouldered her satchel bag.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get to class. I didn’t plan on seeing you twice today, and I certainly haven’t enjoyed it.” She said, walking out, leaving Gansey still speechless.

He facepalmed, running his hand through tousled chestnut locks.

Gansey could never say  _ anything  _ right when it came to Blue.

He was all stutters and stumbling words and flushed cheeks, and nothing ever came out right.

_ Ugh. _

“Congrats on remembering my name though.” A sarcastic voice called out.

Gansey’s head snapped toward the doorway just in time to see the door close behind Blue, walking out of the cafe.

He groaned internally.

How was it that she could hate him with a passion and yet he still felt the same? Her fiery spirit, her biting remarks were now directed to him, and yet he didn’t feel any difference to how he had felt before: exhilarated, breathless, excited.

He sat back in the chair that Blue had recently vacated.

Celtic myths? Gansey had you covered. Research? His favourite pastime!

But people? Feelings?

He had no idea how to confront those.

He'd figure it out though.

Soon.

Hopefully.

He sat back and circled the invisible soulmark on his wrist.

_ Blue hates me, I...don't know what I feel about her, and we're paired for a project. _

He sighed, rubbing his eyes.

_ I'll make it work. I always do. _

His mind was racing a million miles an hour, going and going, faster and further, traversing oceans and trekking through new lands, exploring the far corners of Gansey's extensive mind. He thought and thought as he sat quietly, the people of Cabeswater unaware of the turmoil of thought that was currently happening in Gansey's head.

_ I have to. _

His second dramatic soliloquy of the day was interrupted by Noah floating over to his table with a warm cup of hot chocolate, a mountain of whipped cream on the drink and a smile on his face.

Gansey smiled at him.

Noah took a sip of the hot chocolate, quietly looking at Gansey, his pale eyes making Gansey feel like Noah could look at him once and see all his secrets, all his flaws.

The ghostly boy remained non-verbal as he sat in peace with Gansey (who was currently busy inside his own head).

However, Gansey was snapped out of thought as Noah elbowed his side, pointing to the counter where...

Gansey suppressed a chuckle.

Ronan was standing in front of a law student Gansey had seen around—Adam, he remembered, looking the most flustered Gansey had ever seen him. He was flushed red down to his pale neck, nervously standing in front of the an exhausted looking Adam, who was smiling gently at Ronan.

Gansey smiled as Ronan grabbed his drink and quickly walked over to where they sat.

 _I suppose I'm not the only one with emotional issues._ He thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha HA I bet you forgot that this is actually a soulmate AU too because I-  
> I definitely did too.  
> I am sorry.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Hopefully I'll have the next one sooner lol
> 
> Comment your thoughts! I'd love to hear what you think! <3


End file.
